How could $4.99 possibly capture the cost of the radio?I didn't pay for the radio - kids in the Congo paid with their future

Consumption

The heart of the system, the engine that drives is - that's why Bush said, after 911, to shop- the primary way our value is measured and demonstrated is how much we consume- 1 percept of material we consume is still in use 6 months after we consume themHow did thsi happen?

It was designed- our enormously productive economy demands that we make buying a way of life- under Eisenhower - the purpose of the economy became to become consumers of goods- planned obselescence (disposables) and perceived obscelence- we are convinced to throw away stuff that is still perfectly useful - by changing the way stuff looks- advertisement plays a big role in this - the point of an ad is to make us unhappy with what he have - we are told "we are wrong"- all we see is the shopping - the production, distribution and disposal happen outside our field of vision- we pay for this with our time - we work harder than ever - and in our leisure we watch TV (commercials) and we shop - "we are on this crazy work watch spend treadmill"(doesn't mention - but should - credit)

Disposal

- garnage - gets stuffed in a landfill - pollutes air, land and water - and changes the climate - buring releases the toxics- recycling helps, by reducing garbage, reducing demand- but recycling is not enough - for every 1 can of recycling, 70 cans remain upstream- also, much of the garbage can't be recycled

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It is a system in crisisThere are many points of interventionBut all of it works when we see the big pictureWe need to chuck the old school throw-away mindset - based on reduced consumption and social equityThe people who say we can continue the old way are misled - they're dreaming